Committee approves amendment to H.248 to broaden childcare grant eligibility

At a House Appropriations Committee meeting Wednesday, April 30, 2025, members voted to approve an amendment to H.248 that expands eligibility for a supplemental childcare grant to include programs "at risk of closing or not opening due to experiencing financial hardship." The committee recorded a 7-0-0 vote in favor.

The amendment modifies section 1, subdivision 1A, of H.248, inserting the phrase "or not opening" after "at risk of closing," so the provision will explicitly cover programs that could fail to begin operations because of financial hardship. "You recommend that the bill be amended in section 1, which is a supplemental childcare grant section in the first sentence of subdivision 1A by inserting after at risk of closing the phrase or not opening," said Kaye McGlenn, Judge Counsel, presenting the committee's requested change.

The committee's chair led procedural discussion on how to move the amendment and the bill through committee. Members discussed voting mechanics and scheduling; one member asked whether to use one of their floor voting days for the item. Committee members and staff clarified that the amendment does not create new appropriations: it expands allowable uses for existing funds, specifically referencing one-half of 1 percent of CCFAP funds as already available for these purposes. "But it's not new funds. It's existing funds. One half of 1 percent, CCFAP funds," the chair said when explaining the fiscal context.

A motion was made to approve the committee amendment pending edit; the clerk called the roll and the amendment was approved. The committee then moved to support H.248 as amended by the Committee on Human Services and further amended by the Committee on Appropriations; that motion was made and the committee adopted the bill as amended, with the clerk recording a final vote of 7-0-0 in favor.

Committee members asked for a clean copy of the amendment when available so staff could distribute it; the chair assigned follow-up on document circulation to staff members. The committee also announced its upcoming agenda: a 11:30 a.m. hearing with Vermont Humanities about recent cuts, a nonvoting walkthrough of S.60 (Farm Security Special Fund) this afternoon, and a hearing on H.86, a chloride contamination reduction program supported by the Agency of Natural Resources and the Agency of Transportation.

The committee's approval sends H.248, as amended, forward under the committee's procedures; the bill's further progress and any floor debate will determine final enactment and implementation details.